Dealing
by Meilin R
Summary: What would happen if Faye didn't just watch Spike leave? What if she did something about it? Would events have been different at the end?
1. The Real Folk Blues

**Author's warning. This fic contains spoilers from the last episode (hence the name of the chapter). If you doNOT want to know what happens, then I'd advise you read something else...Thank you and enjoy.**

She stood there, staring at the place where he last stood, not knowing if she'd ever see him again. She doubted it. _How did she know? _Faye wondered. It was irritating her that Julia knew about Faye. Faye thought back. She had been careful to conceal her identity from the other bounties because of fear that people she owed a debt too would hunt her down that way. Bounty hunting was risky business. Faye sighed. _What did she mean by there? _

Faye walked to the weapon room and stared at the cup on the counter. The weapon room was the first place she found Spike when she returned from her little trip on Earth. That trip was a total waste of time. Not only did they lose a bounty, but she caused Ed, their genius hacker, to leave. She was positive that Spike and Jet weren't happy about that. The only positive thing that came out of it was two less mouths to feed. Ein was so attached to Ed that he left with her.

When she saw Spike, standing there, she didn't know whether it'd be good to tell him or not. The name Julia still sparked a high interest in him, and she may have been selfish to think so, but she didn't want him to go. Just as she was deciding to tell him, he noticed her and asked himself.

"And it was all thanks to you." she said bitterly to the cup that was sitting on the table. He had so many tricks. It was probably why he was such a great and feared bounty hunter. Even if they never got the big bounties. Spike also knew Faye better than she knew herself. She hated it. And yet, like a faithful dog, she always came back. Ever since day one. She didn't know why. She just knew that she hated it. They both knew it. But, only one of them knew why she always came back, and it sure wasn't her.

She angrily grabbed the cup and was on the brink of throwing it when she stopped. Faye stood there and stared at the lip, the last place where his lips were. She drank the rest of the contents quickly, allowing the cool liquid to slide down her throat. Faye sighed. "A kiss that was never meant to be. If you can call it a kiss..."

She carefully set the cup back down on the small table. Silently, she cursed herself for having the people follow her back to the Bebop. Dragging herself out of the room, where she could still feel his presence, she went to her room. By the time she reached her bed, she truly felt her true age. After all, she wasn't a twenty three year old anymore. No, that was eons ago. She was truly seventy seven with a twenty three year old's body.

She flopped down onto her sheetless bed. It was funny to her how her perception of bed differed from the rest of the crew. The bed in here was basically a bunk that were in campers. The bed she longed for was only a thing from her memories. The full size bed with pink sheets and many fluffy pillows. Sighing, she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The sudden sound of the hatch being opened woke her. With a sense of excitement, she immediately thought of Spike. Wanting to surprise him, she stealthily crept to the hangar. Once there, she only spotted her aircraft. The Hammerhead was gone. She forgot all about it, and now, her only chance of leaving was...gone. She was isolated, stranded. A small warm tear slid down her face and fell by her foot. She was still that loyal dog, but now her master was gone and there was no way of getting to him.

- - -

It felt like a dream. Everything. Julia was by his side again. There was no Jet, no Bebop, no bounties, and definitely no Faye. No one but her. And then, in what seemed like eternity, she...died. His Julia. His dream was gone, and he had to awake into the nightmare known as reality.

He didn't know what to do now. He felt lost. And then anger consumed his soul. There was nothing he wanted now except revenge. His past needed to be settled now. Spike left Julia, he was positive that someone would find her body and prepare a nice funeral for her. To get revenge, he needed as much ammunition as possible. All of his ammo was at the one place he wanted to forget. The Bebop.

- - -

She heard the hangar open. Jet was back, but she didn't want to get into another argument. Not now. Life was getting crazier by the minute, and with an argument, she felt like she would explode. She closed her eyes to stop the oncoming headache, and as she did, she fell into another dreamless slumber.

The hangar opened again, waking her. It seemed every time she fell asleep she could hear that hangar open.

"Deja vu." she whispered in the empty room without thinking. It took a moment for her to register the thought into her brain. "Spike..." and as she said his name, her heart it seemed, skipped a beat. The smell of bell peppers started to waft into her room.

Faye quietly crept down toward the main room. She stopped when she heard Spike and Jet laugh. Confused and overwhelmed with curiosity, Faye decided to stay and listen intently.

The laughing soon stopped, and she heard Spike's footsteps coming closer.

"Spike. Can I ask you one thing?" Jet asked.

Spike stopped. "What?"

"Is it for the woman?"

There was a few minutes of silence. And then, "There's nothing I can do for a dead woman." Had she heard him right? Julia was dead? If she really was, Faye was not going to let him go and kill himself. That's when she realized the cool metal in her hands. Surprised, she looked down and noticed her gun. _I must have picked it up when I got up..._she thought. Looking in the room again, she decided to hide in the shadows and waited.

His footsteps started up again. Spike knew he'd have to face Faye. He knew she was close by because he heard her quiet footsteps coming up to the room. Yet, he was a bit surprised when she put her gun to his head.

Her voice was shaky when she spoke, "Where are you going? Why are you going? You told me once...that the past didn't matter...You're the one who's tied to their past!" She looked up at him, with pleading eye, trying to make him stay.

Spike leaned down and stared straight into her eyes. Her beat faster. This wasn't like him at all.

"Look at these eyes. One of them is a fake, because I lost it in an accident. Since then, I've been seeing the past in one eye, and the present in the other. I had believed that what I saw was not all of reality."

Faye now spoke. Her voice was trembling from fear that this was the end. "Don't tell me things like that! You never told me anything about yourself! Don't tell me stuff like that now!"

"I thought I was watching a dream that I would never awaken from. Before I knew it, the dream was all over." He straightened up and started walking away. But Faye knew that if she didn't make him understand how much she cared for him, she wouldn't be able to live with herself. Why was he really going to kill himself, anyway?

"My...memory came back." He stopped, forcing himself to listen. No, he didn't have to force himself to listen. Her voice was enough to make him stop no matter what. "But...nothing good came out of it. There was no place for me to return to...This was the only place I could go back to! But now...Where are you going! Why do you have to go! Are you telling me you're going to just throw your life away!"

The words stung him. He quickly deciphered the words true meaning: 'Are you telling me you don't want to be with me? Because, I love you Spike!' He sighed. This hurt him more than what he thought it would. "I'm not going to die. I'm going to see if I really am alive." With that, he departed.

Faye watched. No, if he wanted to die, she'd kill him herself. She started to fire her gun, but her arm shook violently, making it impossible to aim. Spike knew it himself, and just kept on walking like nobody was shooting at him. She stopped and started to cry.

* * *

A/N: Ok, how did you like the chapter? Yes, this is basically a huge recap of the last episode, but I hope the stuff I added seemed right. This is my first time writing a Cowboy Bebop fic, so I hope it's worthy amongst the other Cowboy Bebop fics out there! Please, review! 


	2. A Second Chance?

When I left her there at the Bebop, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. After all, we were in the same predicament, it seemed. Both of us had a lost past and nothing to gain. That's probably why we were appealed to bounty hunting. The perfect way to feel special was to gain money on some other person's life. We were lowly, cold, human beings. Human beings that probably didn't deserve to live.

But, I couldn't think about sentimental things right now. I had other things to do. Like resolve my past now before everybody that I once cared about ended up dead. So, I was really doing Faye and Jet a favor. They just didn't know it.

* * *

Spike walked up to the building that he had once loved. It soon became a building he hated, despised. That was why he had wanted to run away with Julia in the first place. But, that was a part of a past that kept haunting him day by day. It had to come to a stop.

The first step he took into the building, he knew that nothing was going to kill me. No matter how much the men were trying to stop him, only he and Vicious knew that the only one that was going to kill Spike, was Vicious. Likewise, only Spike could kill Vicious.

The building became a war zone. Instinctively, Spike knew exactly where to shoot and how to get through the building without being hurt. Racing up to the elevator, he rode it to the top most level it would allow him to go. Preparing for an attack, he decided to hide in the elevator.

As the elevator door opened, he could feel the confusion of the people out in the hallway. He waited for what seemed like hours, before a guy came in to check to see if any of their shots that they had fired into the elevator had hit their target. Spike came crashing down on the guy from the top and shot mercilessly at the others. After all, the words: Only Vicious can kill me, kept running through his minds, causing him to think that he was as invincible as Superman himself. The elevator close to him opened, and he quickly took aim.

"Shin! Where's Vicious?" he barked after noticing the boy. He looked almost identical to his brother, Lin, who had died at the hands of Vicious months ago. He hadn't meant to sound so mean, but the thought of having his past settled once and for all made him impatient. There was no time for a friendly hello.

Shin seemed to have understood. "On the top floor. This way." They ran up, and recklessly turned a corner. If only they were a bit more careful, Shin needn't have been shot by the person standing in the hallway.

"Shin!" Devastated, and full of anger, Spike quickly dodged the oncoming bullets and kills Shin's murderer. "Shin!"

Shin's breathing had become irregular, and Spike knew that the end was coming for his friend. "Please defeat...Vicious...Actually...I wanted you to come back..." With those final words, Spike devastatedly watched his friend pass away.

No tears were shed for the loss. It seemed to him that he was deprived of tears a long time ago. Although it hurt him, he kept on going, more determined than ever to kill Vicious.

- - -

With Spike gone, Faye didn't know what to do with herself. Jet was of no use. Every time she mentioned his name, he grunted and said that he was an idiot. Her tears were gone now, but she couldn't help but wonder where he was going.

"Tell me, where's he going?" she finally demanded.

"By 'he', are we talking about the idiot?" Jet grunted from his banzai tree. Since Spike had left, he had departed into his little room full of banzai trees and barely said a word. Faye was silent, but looked determinedly at him. He didn't need to look at her to see her expression, he felt it. There was another little snap, from a branch he trimmed off and then, "I'll take your silence as a definite yes. Alright. If you want to get killed from that idiot's past, go ahead. He'll be at Red Dragon Headquarters. I suppose I'll be having to go there to pick up my Hammerhead...I'll meet you there in a few hours."

She smiled at him. "Thanks." she softly said as she left to get Spike.

- - -

I kept running until I came upon the main chamber. I burst open the door, and then there was a sudden explosion. The ceiling came down, and I could clearly see all the stars. They looked like diamonds. That's when I saw him. He came down from this stairway that I hardly noticed was there.

"So you are finally awake. I told you before, Spike...that I am the only one who can kill you." my old comrade told me venomously.

I had put up with enough. "I'll return those words back to you, Vicious."

"Either way, we were destined to end up like this."

I was seeing red. I didn't want to listen to him. Because of him, my life had been ruined. There was little hope for it to turn back, but if he was there, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it. No, he had to die. I didn't wait for his words to sink into my head, so I ran up the stairway. Our weapons clashed, sending sparks.

He cut me twice. Stupid katana of his. I finally dodged another attack and shot that katana of his out of his hands. Adrenaline was running in my veins, and I hadn't realized we were fighting so close to each other until my hand landed on his fallen katana, while his hand was on the barrel of my trusty gun.

"Julia passed away...Let's end it all." I said before I knew what was coming from my mouth.

"If that's your wish."

I'll tell you, I'm old fashioned, I never harm my enemy while he's down. I suppose that'd be my downfall, huh? Either way, he got his katana back. I shot him in the chest, as I tried to dodge his attack. Luckily, I hit him, unluckily, he hit me. But, I suppose it was inevitable. I heard his body fall to the ground, and then I felt my own warm blood spilling from my gut. This was how I was to die.

The never ending sky looked so beautiful. I looked at it, while recalling Julia's last words. They were 'this is...a dream...'

I agreed with her, telling her it was nothing but a bad dream. We'll all see each other in hell together soon anyway. We'll all be reunited.

* * *

The sun was rising when Spike finally descended into the main lobby of the headquarters. The men were confused. Apparently their leader was dead, so they didn't know what to do now. They watched with never ending confusion as Spike staggered down, holding his bleeding gut.

He pointed his index finger at them, smiled mischievously and said, "Bang..." With that, he fell to the ground.

The door burst open and in came a purple haired vixen. She ran to the stairs, yelling one name, "Spike!" Her face was already tear stricken, she was worried that she had been too late. It seemed fate didn't want her to be happy, but she had to give it another chance. The both of them had to be given a second chance...

* * *

A/N: I didn't think this chapter was going to take so long. But then I realized that I forgot the last few minutes of the show, so I went script hunting. It was a bit difficult to write all of this chapter in third person, so I decided it'd have a nicer effect if it was written in Spike's point of view as well. I hope it worked out well. I'd like to thank mitora jesus-freak, jadedghostgurl, Teila, and XHatori-SohmaX for writing those wonderful reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! I'll try not to take as long, but I'm trying to balance four or five stories, and a website. Things can get a bit hectic...Anyways, I appreciate it when people review. (hint, hint) 


	3. A Time to Heal

What was he thinking storming into the Red Dragon Headquarters like that? Obviously there were going to be men trying to stop him from getting to Vicious, right? Why didn't he ask for back up!

Of course, when Jet told me he was at _the _Red Dragon Headquarters, I didn't think twice. No, my only worry was to get there as fast as possible to help him.

It finally occurred to me what he had done in his past. He was an ex-syndicate member. That was the reason why he was so good at bounty hunting. The only reason why I was better than the average bounty hunter was because of my excessive running. Running helps sharpen a lot of talent you didn't think you ever had.

It was morning when I finally landed Jet's Hammerhead in front of the building. If it weren't for my bad luck, I'm sure I would have gotten there sooner. And they used to call me 'Poker Alice', the luckiest woman I've ever heard of.

I was stopped _five times_ by the police. I wasn't speeding, they were checking for a suspicious woman who was known to be carrying bombs on her. Apparently she wanted to blow up a city on Mars. Why did the police decide to do their job now, of all times! Most of the time, they'd just put it out on Big Shot and leave it to us bounty hunters. But, the show had ended.

I was surprised that it had ended, it seemed to signify the end of what was becoming my new life. I suppose I was never meant to live a happy life, you know? Maybe my stories of me being a Romani, a wandering gypsy who was empty weren't lies. Maybe they were the truth.

* * *

As she ran up to the building of the Red Dragon Headquarters, Faye's heart was beating faster than usual. It was beating even faster than when she had met Vicious for the first time.

She thought she was too late. One thing was on her mind, and she shouted it over and over again when she burst open those big syndicate doors. There she saw him, laying on the steps. Nobody stopped her, in fact they were watching with puzzled expressions. It seemed with no leader, they didn't know what to do with themselves. They lived on orders.

Tears were streaming down her face as she ran over to him. Gently, she picked up his head, and tried to straighten his unruly hair. "...ugh...Julia?" he whispered.

A tinge of jealousy swept through her. After all that had happened, he seemed to be wanting to escape to the one place where he could be with his beloved. "No, you idiot..." Faye whispered quietly. It was difficult to say even that due to her crying.

"Faye...why are..." he coughed. A sputter of blood came out. All hope for him was soon extinguished when she saw the dark red liquid emitting from his mouth.

"Shh...don't talk. Everything's going to be fine." She tried to persuade not only him, but herself as well. Sadness was welling up in her throat, and she didn't think she'd be able to be strong for the both of them. It seemed like an eternity past when Jet finally walked in through the open doors, limping.

Seeing the two there, with Faye trying to console Spike, and Spike fighting to live, or maybe he was fighting to die. A bittersweet sadness filled his heart, and he knew if Spike died there, Faye would soon follow out of grief and his little family would be no more. He'd be left all alone in this vast solar system of theirs, with nothing to gain and nothing to lose.

"What are you guys doing just gawking there and watching! Help her get him into my ship!" he barked at the confused men standing around. They didn't skip a beat listening to his orders. In fact, the orders seemed to give them back a little life. "Be gentle with him!"

He watched as the fumbling group of men tried to be as gentle as they could to carry Spike back into the Bebop.

Faye followed tearfully. She conducted them to the right ship, which wasn't too hard since it was still early in the morning, and their huge ship could take up all the room it wanted without obstructing traffic. One of the men attempted to move Spike's legs into the door, but it ended up bumping the edge of the door. Jet cursed, and barked for someone more capable to maneuver Spike's legs into the ship.

The substitute was quickly put in place and in a matter of minutes Spike was placed on the yellow couch. Faye ran quickly to put the Hammerhead back in, while Jet limped his way toward the Bebop to get it out of the way. "Go get a job." he told the men before walking in.

He walked briskly by Faye, who was already preparing to bandage him up. They could have went to a hospital, Jet took a quick glance at him and thought that he would probably need it, but hospital's cost money. Money was something they didn't have. He sighed, before placing the Bebop back into space.

Faye had always been the one to fix Spike up. She offered to ever since she first officially teamed up with them. It was the least she could do. She took her hand and delicately traced the long, deep, wound Vicious had inflicted. If he survived this, it'd be a miracle. For now, all she could do was bandage him up, and wait.

* * *

I don't know how long I was out, but it seemed to last an eternity. I thought that I had died, but never seeing the light, nor feeling any extreme heat, I figured that I was alive. As I was starting to wake up, I heard that same tune. The tune Julia once hummed before for me. Was I just dreaming? Was she really here with me, not dead?

I started to slowly open my eyes, and looked. There was no Julia. No, Julia was dead. Instead, my little purple haired vixen was sitting there. She seemed to be humming to calm herself more than to calm me down. The last time she had hummed that tune, she was casually sitting, playing a game of solitaire. Now, she was sitting there, with a worried look on her face. I saw a wad of tissues cluttering the table, in her hands was a handkerchief. It looked like if she squeezed it anymore, it was going to tear.

I admit it, I did call her tone deaf before. Maybe I was doing that more to comfort me than anything. I was afraid for falling for another women since I knew Julia was still out there. But now, I realized, Faye was just as pretty, and sure, she couldn't sing, but she definitely wasn't tone deaf.

"Hey..." I muttered.

She looked at me, startled. I never knew one little 'hey' could work her up, but it did. All the crying she had done in fear that I was a goner, was gone. Instead, tears of joy filled her face. She clung to me, forgetting my injuries until I reminded her. I wiped the tears from her face, and kissed her on the forehead. I stifled my chuckle when she blushed, and stuttered that she was going to tell Jet to make some beef and bell peppers.

As I watched her walk away, I knew I wasn't over Julia completely. No, I still needed some time to heal not only my physical wounds, but my emotional wounds as well.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I've been extremely busy doing a lot of other things, that it's been hard for me to find time to write! So, first off, I'd like to thank everyone that has reviewed. It means a lot to me! Now, it may seem like the ending chapter, but it isn't. No, I have a few more chapters up my sleeve for this story. So, please be patient! Time just keeps slipping away from me...Ugh. Remember to update!


	4. A New Beginning

Faye waltzed into the room Jet was in. He looked at her suspiciously. He couldn't remember the last time she had ever looked that happy. Actually, he didn't recall one last time she looked like that.

She went over to him like a little girl, hands clasped behind her back and leaning in and watching for a few seconds the pruning he was issuing on his little trees.

"What?" he finally grunted.

"Would you mind making some beef and bell peppers? Please?" she asked sweetly.

If he had been eighty, Jet was sure he would have had a heart attack and died right there on the spot. After all, this was Faye, at least it looked like Faye. He didn't remember ever hearing her speaking this politely, only when he watched the tape of her younger self. "Why? You know it's only bell peppers...And you hate the stuff anyway."

"Not as much as Spike, and I'm sure he's hungry."

She allowed a few seconds for her words to soak into his brain. _Hungry, he's hungry_..."You mean..." he started. Her eyes sparkled and she slowly nodded her head. They both laughed and quickly embraced each other in a hug. Finally, he let go and heaved himself up. She watched as he muttered about what an idiot he was, making them worry about him like that so.

Faye started to make her way back toward Spike, but before she could even get in the room, the familiar smell of bell peppers filled her nose.

* * *

It's a wonderful feeling when you can sense that you are loved on some level by some people. I didn't realize how important I was to those two until I heard them laughing. I smiled. They meant as much to me, as I did to them. Although we may not have shown much, we were a family. A family of misfits. The only thing I wanted to do now was to sit down and get a job. Something that wasn't as dangerous as bounty hunting. After all, Edward was gone, so we couldn't hack and get as much information as we used to and Big Shot was over. 

It seemed that with those two gone, it marked the ending of our bounty hunting phase, and the beginning of something more. Something where we could finally sit down and maybe enjoy a Christmas, a birthday. Besides, now that the dangers of my syndicate life was gone, I had no need to be roaming around the solar system fleeing from them, and looking for Julia. No, she was gone.

Instead, I wanted to start the life I had wanted when I had been with Julia. A home, a wife, maybe children. Though, children were annoying, and I did hate them. Definitely no dog. Unless it was as good as Ein, which I doubted. For the first time in my life though, I finally realized how much I missed that annoying, sing song child and the flea bitten dog. They really brought some life to this old ship.

* * *

When Faye walked back in, I knew that I had to start my new life with her. There was just no other woman besides Julia, who was dead, and Faye, that I felt would make me feel complete. 

Faye walked back in the room, a smile still plastered on her face. She looked over at Spike, who because of his injuries could barely sit up. Still, she saw him looking at her. She was about to ask what was wrong, when Jet came limping in, with a nice heaping plate of beef and bell peppers.

Spike looked it over quickly and noticed that they still had no beef in them. He sighed, and allowed Faye to feed him. Jet watched the two for a bit, and feeling that they needed to be by themselves, left to take some weight off of his leg.

"Faye?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you come back for me?"

She studied the plate of bell peppers which was almost gone by now. "I don't know..." she finally said.

"You always come back..."

"What are you saying?" she said defensively. "That I love you or something?"

"You can't deny it any longer..." he told her tauntingly.

"Yeah, well I definitely can't compete with _her_ can I?"

"You're right. How can you compete with a dead woman?" Spike sarcastically said as she put another forkful of bell peppers in his mouth. It took her a while to digest the true meaning of his words into her mind.

"You mean..."

"You won."

She carefully studied him, making sure he wasn't lying. She didn't notice any of his know all expressions, but one that she only saw when he was talking of Julia. He watched as her eyes soon welled up with tears, and she gently laid her head on his chest. "Spike, I don't know what to say..."

"The only thing you have to say is that you'll spend the rest of your life by my side."

He could feel her smile. "Sure, that is, if you don't mind our major age difference."

"Maybe it was destiny that led you to be in that accident and saved..."

"Maybe..."

They stayed there like that for what seemed like hours. Neither one of them wanted to move, afraid that if they did the settling atmosphere around them would break and all would be lost. Even when the door banged, Faye didn't dare get up and answer.

Jet grunted. He was about to yell at Faye when he limped by when he saw how content the two were. It seemed to him that everything was finally starting to fall into place. Jet was almost like a father to Faye, and a friend to Spike. So, when the two would finally settle down together, they would be a family. He couldn't help but smile at the two, but that smile quickly faded when he opened the door.

"Where's Faye?" a tall guy asked. He was broad and muscular. From his past experiences, he could tell that this guy had been living a rough life.

"What makes you think a person named Faye is here?"

"I've been looking for her clear across this solar system, and everything leads to here."

"Why do you want her?"

"Pass this message to her, pops. She can't hide from her never ending debt forever, can she? If she doesn't pay up soon, then she pays with her life. People are getting rather impatient with her..."

"Yeah, I'll tell her." he barked before slamming the door shut. He passed a hand over his balding hair. They were in trouble.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for taking so long. Time just isn't on my side. I'll try to update at least every two weeks, but if I can't, it'll be once a month. It seems that it's the only thing I'm capable of doing at the moment. I'm working on a lot of stories right now, and my job is hectic. I even recently had to move my writing site, so please bare with me. Sorry again! Hope you guys enjoy the new chapter! I think it introduces more drama, what do you think?


	5. Jobs

Jet came barreling in the room, destroying the settling atmosphere that Spike and Faye were sharing. "Faye, if you want to live, you're going to have to pay off your debt." Faye looked questioningly at him. "A man just came by and told me to tell you that."

Faye nervously bit her bottom lip. "My debt can't be paid all at once. I'd have to live at least five lives just for me to get it all paid!"

"Just what did you do to get all of this debt piled onto you?" Spike asked.

"I got into an accident, and was saved." she said softly, lightly smiling at Spike.

"Well, we better find work. Spike, as soon as you can, you better find a job as well." With that, he limped out.

Faye looked down at the computer monitor that was sitting on the table. She sighed, and spent the rest of the night by Spike looking for a job.

* * *

I might have had some sort of grace before. But, it seems that I've lost all of that and the only thing that I can do now is mess up. And mess up I did. You have no idea how hard it is to start a clean slate. It's almost ironic. I dress up in clothes, actual clothes where all the body parts that I usually flaunt are now hidden, and what happens? I get cat calls!

I tell Spike these things after I got done with my latest shift of jobs. This one was a job at a restaurant where I got to be a waitress. I don't know how many glasses I broke, but because of the sudden appearance of customers due to me, the boss couldn't afford to fire me. In that sense, I'm grateful. But, Spike seems to get mad, which I find cute, and tells me to change before I go out into my real clothes.

Jet has been a real pal. He's been going out and doing god knows what, but he always comes back with money. Since Spike's here and getting healthier by the day, we don't really have to lock up the savings we've been earning. I counted the little bank of cash that we keep for my debt. It barely made a dent, but at least it was something, so in that sense, I'll be able to keep my life.

My new life with Spike has been great. He hasn't been able to take me on a date yet due to his bandages, but he swears he will. I never really quite appreciated him until now. Jet told me he can finally breath in the Bebop now because we're not at each others throats. Isn't that funny? Have we really been at each others throats that much? I didn't think so.

* * *

"There, how do you feel?" Faye asked as she took the last of Spike's bandages off. It had been a fortnight now, and Jet was finally able to walk without a limp, as well as Spike was able to make a quick recovery. Everything helped, the money that they were making. Most of it went to Faye's debt bank that they kept in a small coffee can in the Bebop, and the other part went to groceries. With actual proteins, Spike was able to heal miraculously.

Spike timidly stretched his muscles. "My, my. You could be a doctor!" he said while jumping to his feet. It had been a long while since he had been able to actually stretch up without the support of the bandages, and it felt great to him.

Faye smiled. "Glad to be of service. That'll be 100,000 woolongs."

"100,000! All you did was bandage me up and make sure I had food!"

"That's the beauty of Martian capitalism." she joked. They both laughed as Jet walked in.

"Whatever joke I missed, I don't wanna know. Faye, here's your share of my profits..." he said, while fumbling for the money.

"Jet, out of sheer curiosity, exactly what do you do?" Spike inquired, while taking a look at the bundle of cash.

"I'm not saying."

"Just be sure it's nothing illegal now." Faye commented.

"Should you be talking?"

"I've become a model citizen! No longer do I roam around like my gypsy ancestors, nor do I go out to the races!" she said dramatically.

"Get a grip."

"Makes for good t.v. doesn't it?" Spike said, while watching Faye amusingly. Jet rolled his eyes, just as someone was knocking on the hatch door. Sighing, Jet left the two and opened the door.

"Did you tell Faye to pay up?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"We don't have all the money. Faye's working hard though and she's hoping to have it all paid off in a few years."

"A few years?"

Jet looked the guy in the eyes. He didn't like him. There was something about him that he just couldn't trust about the guy. Call it police instinct. "Yeah, a few years. That's what I said."

"Well guess what, pops? We can't wait a few years. We want it now."

"Get out of here." Jet said loudly so that Spike and Faye could hear. "I told you we'll have it paid in a few years."

Spike looked at Faye. Making a shushing gesture, he lead her to the room where they had once kept their weapons. The handguns were still in there and as Spike took one, it felt heavier. _Forgive me_ he thought while he quickly loaded it. Faye hesitatingly took one as well. Just like Spike, it seemed she quickly adapted to the good samaritan role. The gun felt heavy in her hand, and she almost forgot how to operate one.

Taking the bullets, she too loaded it and nodding to each other, they both made their way cautiously to the main room. Nothing seemed to be amiss, and they could still hear Jet and the guy arguing. In an instant, they heard Jet grunt, as he was pushed aside.

Two men came bursting into the room. Spike and Faye reacted quickly, dodging the bullets and firing back. Faye was always terrible at getting caught, and the event was no different. One of the men managed to grab her.

"Hello Ms. Valentine." he said into her ear.

"Get your hands off her!" Spike yelled, while firing a shot.

"If you want to see her alive, you better have her debt paid off by the end of this month. Or else. Oh yeah, and give us the money that she's already accumulated." the guy said smiling. He pointed his gun to her head.

Sighing, and giving him a look of hatred, Spike left and got the money. He handed them the bulk of cash, and as he tried to snatch Faye away, they left. "We'll leave you a message. See ya."

"Spike! Spike!" Faye yelled, as she was taken away.

* * *

A/N: What do you think? I belive I'm only going to write two more chapters and this story will be complete. Sorry! I'm glad a lot of you enjoy this story. It was really fun. Thanks for being patient with me since I hardly have any time to update. Just be patient a little bit longer, ok? I'm going to try to get the next two chapters up as soon as possible. Don't forget to review!


	6. Transaction

How do I get myself into these type of things! I didn't even see that guy come in. Ok, so I admit that I probably am the queen of getting caught, but the last time I can actually remember being handcuffed was when I was with Mr. Saxophone. God, all I remember about him...if you can actually call him a _him_...was his sorrow. Gren...that name gives me chills. In a way, he was just like Spike, betrayed.

I took a quick look at my surroundings. A few terrible guards, nothing Spike and Jet can't handle at the moment. But the question was, what sparked them hunting me down all of a sudden for my debt? I mean, I knew my debt was a huge problem, but come on, nobody actually tried to kill me for it. The last time I remember when my debt problem got me into this much trouble was when I first met Spike...It was awhile, mind you. The time when I became known as Poker Alice.

* * *

"...got the girl. No, she isn't harmed." Faye lolled her head to her side. She didn't remember how or when, but she fell unconscious during her trip from the Bebop to where ever this place was. Uncomfortable in the position that she was in in the chair, she attempted to move her legs and arms. She quickly found that both feet were handcuffed to the metal chair, along with her hands behind her.

She took a quick look. The guards looked easy enough to take down, but they also looked smart. Could she seduce her way into getting out? Back when she was a loner and had nothing to lose she would have tried to do so. But now, there was Spike. She had somebody to come home to. If you could call the Bebop a home. Nonetheless, she decided on staying put.

"Hey," she called out to a guy who was near her. He turned around at the vixen and pointed confusingly at himself. "Yeah, you." she rolled her eyes. And here she thought that they were smart. The guy made his way sluggishly over to her. "I'm a bit thirsty. Mind getting me some water?" she told him truthfully.

"Uh, well...I don't know..." he started suspiciously.

"It's ok. She wouldn't want to do anything to put herself into any danger now that she has somebody. Am I right, cutie?" A guy came out from an adjoining room. He was the owner of the same voice who had been talking earlier when she came to. What was their plan? Faye shot him a venomous look as the guy retrieved the water and let her take her drink.

- - -

I don't know how many hours of good service I worked. While working, I couldn't help but think about Faye. She is rather hopeless at times, but I suppose that's part of her charm. Still, I'll admit that working myself to the bone did help me with my mourning over Julia at the same time. It seemed that the month would never end. The cash that me and Jet worked hard on earning for Faye's debt just wasn't enough and we both knew it. Actually, we didn't even know how much she owed, so in all actuality it was a matter of intuition. No matter how many hours we worked, it was all in vain. We did every little job, it seemed. Bounty hunting, grocers, clerks, butchers, and even garbage men. I did everything but rob a damn bank. Damn it! Am I allowed any happiness!

* * *

In what seemed like eternity, the month finally started to draw to a close. It was a couple of days before the month was going to end when the door knocked again.

"I'll get it!" Spike yelled irritatedly, racing toward the door.

"If it's them, promise me you won't kill them on the spot!" Jet barked back from the couch. He had recently gotten back from a job and was putting most of the money into their account for Faye's freedom.

"Fine, I won't kill them...I'll just torture them for information!" he retaliated. Jet sighed, and shook his head. There was no hope for him when he had a goal.

Spike reached the door and burst it open. He wildly looked around for a sign of somebody there, but instead found a letter. Gently picking it up, he slumped onto the couch next to Jet.

"What is it?" Jet grunted while counting the money that they had.

"Telling us where to meet them at. Tch, I'll give them the money we have now after I get Faye. Once the realize that it's not enough, they'll be dead."

"Are you sure? How do you know who we're up against?"

"The only person who we should be worried about if we were against him is dead now thanks to me." Spike said offhandedly. Still, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of worry over what Jet said. They were sure to have known that they weren't able to make that much money in such a short time. What were these men really up to?

- - -

"What do you want with me?" Faye asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

"For you to cooperate with me." the man sighed. His fair hair fell back from his eyes as he leaned his head back in frustration. During her month long stay she still hadn't managed to get the man to tell her his name or why they wanted her money so badly. She frowned as she watched him sigh. "Could you please cooperate?"

"I'm a hostage! You expect me to cooperate with you!" she yelled back at him. The only thing she did manage to figure out was that they needed her alive. So therefore, who ever was giving this guy orders, the guy whom she thought was the ring leader and later found out wasn't true, didn't allow them to harm in her in any way shape or form.

The man came over to her with a blindfold. She started to move her head violently, trying her hardest to stop him from covering her eyes, but she was in vain. He quickly got one of the guards to hold her head still while he quickly tied the blindfold.

"Sorry." he muttered.

She sat there, stunned. Sorry, for what? What had they done besides kidnap her? More importantly, what were they planning on doing?

- - -

Just like before when they moved me, I found myself waking up in a strange place. This time I didn't wake up to the sound of voices, but rather the sound of footsteps. Like before, I was in a chair. Unlike before I was blindfolded. I didn't like this one bit. Why was I blindfolded? I was hoping that I was handcuffed, but I knew better. I had grown accustomed to the weight on my wrists and ankles so if they weren't on me, I would've felt a weight difference. These guys weren't stupid. All I could do was wait. But wait for what?

The man that had taken Faye calmly walked over to the rendevous spot. The ocean's water lapped gently, never overtaking the wooden boardwalk. It was in an open, yet secluded spot. Perfect for his people to take on Spike and they could be as loud as they wanted without having to worry about witnesses or the police. He looked behind him. Faye was sitting there, apparently she had just waken up since she was shaking her head lazily. He felt guilty about the whole thing, but he had no other choice.

His daughter was slowly dying and the only thing that was going to help her was if she was going to get a heart transfusion within this week. It seemed that the only way to save a life meant to take away a few lives. But doing it this way meant that the two lovers could be happy in another life. Right?

A red ship came swiftly down, spraying some water hither and thither. Spike quickly got out of the ship carrying a briefcase.

"Alright, I got your money. Now give me Faye."


	7. Victory

I won't lie. My heart was racing when I went to face this William guy. The only way I knew this guy's name was because he had signed the letter that was left at the Bebop. Though I'm positive he didn't hand deliver it himself. William. It doesn't even sound scary, does it? But still, seeing him there, with that brown hair of his flying in the wind, his dark cold brown eyes, and his overall stature of: I win, scared the shit out of me. I still sensed another motive. The only thing that relieved me at all was seeing Faye, blindfolded and handcuffed, but still fine. At least she gave a reaction when she heard my voice.

* * *

"Spike? SPIKE!" Faye yelled when she recognized his voice.

As much as Spike wanted to go to her, he had to hold his ground. He was working with the average bad guy. No, he knew what he was doing. He left no signs of their whereabouts and he was the one who was calling the shots the whole time. "Give me the money." William said calmly.

"Not until I get Faye first."

The two stared each other down as if trying to read each other's thoughts. "I'm sorry." William said as he snapped his fingers.

In an instant his guards started to fire at Spike. Expecting this, but not so soon, he quickly grabbed his gun and started to shoot down the men.

* * *

I didn't know what was going on. I sensed a great deal of tension between the two. Then I heard that guy's words again, "I'm sorry." For somebody who's supposed to be the bad guy, he sure is sorry a lot. Gun shots. And lots of them. God, please let Spike be alive whenever this blindfold is off of me.

* * *

"Why aren't you doing anything, William?"

"I don't want to contaminate my hands any further than what I have already done." he shouted over the bullets.

"You're still going to jail, you know that?" Spike taunted as he dodged a bullet.

"How? There's nobody here but us."

"That's where you're wrong." Jet's voice boomed from a megaphone. With all the noise, none of them heard the police ship that was hovering above them. Seeing the police ship, with a police member aiming a gun at them, the men quickly dropped their weapons.

- - -

It wasn't over. William confessed that he was indeed working for someone else. Who ever this someone else was the police caught in two weeks time. I guess they really can do something besides hand out bounties and letting bounty hunters do the job.

As for William's daughter, she found a donor. Apparently, the only reason why I wasn't harmed was because he was planning to use me as his daughter's donor. Luckily I didn't die. Now this isn't a fairy tale, but I am happy to say that it does have a happy ending...

* * *

Faye was leaning on the counter, trying to decipher the meaning to the cookbook. A pinch and dash? What kind of measurements were those? She frowned at it. Since her rescue, it seemed that they all tried to lead a normal life. The job that Jet held that he wouldn't tell was going back into the force. Sure it was crooked, but he swore he was holding a fine desk job and he was trying his hardest to making the force uncrooked.

Spike had been doing odds and ends jobs while Faye was holding her own as a waitress. She was getting better at feminine grace and wasn't breaking as much as she used to. She was still held as the best waitress because the customers kept pouring in to see her.

Spike walked into the kitchen and noticed Faye scrutinizing the book. He smiled. Sure he was still getting over his wounds from Julia, but day by day, Faye was closing them. It wasn't the fact that she reminded him of her at times, but more or less the fact that she truly loved him. She wouldn't go out and leave him. No, Faye definitely was a loyal dog, always coming back to the one she loved most.

He tapped her on the shoulder, taking her by surprise. "Hey."

"Huh? Oh, it's you Spike." she smiled and allowed him to embrace her from behind. She could smell flowers on him since his latest job came from a florist. She didn't pass up a moment for teasing him about it either.

"I got you something..." he whispered in her ear.

"What?" she asked surprised.

"Here." he took her hand and placed a small item in it. She looked down to see a fake ring in it.

"Huh?"

"One day when I can afford one, that'll be a real diamond ring."

"Spike...I don't know what to say..."

"Just say yes."

Faye laughed. "Yes. Yes Spike, I love you!" she twirled around and hugged him before capturing his lips with hers.

* * *

A/N: I am very pleased to say MERRY CHRISTMAS! I practically slaved over these last two chapters in the last two days trying to get this done. Yes, I put off my schoolwork for this, but it's worth it. Projects and tests are killing me (and so is this cold), and yes those are the reasons why I haven't updated in forever. Why am I so vulnerable to sickness at this time! I've also noticed that I really stink at writing endings, and I was more aware of it while writing this story. But, everyone's happy in the ending. I know I'm satisfied. You can just hear the wedding bells for the happy couple, you know? Anyways, I'd like to thank all of you for being so patient with me and I hope you didn't forget about the fic while I was away from writing. Now that all of my fanfics are finished for the year, I really don't know when I'll be able to make another one. I'm a bit devoted to my original fic at the moment, and the next time I write a fic will most likely be an InuYasha one. Hope you all enjoyed your little Christmas present from me and hope your holidays were great and stay healthy!


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